Mole won planning permission to extend this 17th century farmhouse in open countryside within the High Wield area of the Sussex Downs. The scheme replaced several 1970s additions of little architectural merit with a single barrel-vaulted extension.

The scheme won approval following previous refusals and was designed following research into the historic development of farmyards in the AONB, adopting the formal pattern of a ‘disbursed cluster.’ This form decreases the apparent scale of the extension, allowing greater prominence to the original farmhouse and enabling the building to function better as a family home.

Attached while visually separate, the extension provides a contemporary reinterpretation of local farmsteads in a way that is sympathetic to the existing farmhouse. It is constructed from brick, with a terne-coated steel barrel-vaulted roof and a glass link. The ground floor contains a generous south-facing family kitchen and above, a master bedroom enjoys the vault.